Eric Neilson expects to move up at Whistler

VANCOUVER - The comment is barely out of a reporter’s mouth when skeleton racer Eric Neilson, lounging comfortably in a chair in a downtown hotel lobby, breaks into a hearty laugh, relief etched all over his face.

After opening the World Cup season with a discouraging 16th-place finish in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Nov. 9, the reigning Canadian champion from Kelowna needed something good to happen last Saturday in the season’s second race at Park City, Utah, especially with race No. 3 looming at Whistler.

“I’m glad you got that sixth [at Park City],” the reporter told him.”I wasn’t looking forward to talking to you after a 16th and a 15th.”

“Yeah, I really needed to get that one out of the way,” said Neilson, grinning broadly through his laugh.

Clearly, he wasn’t looking forward to the inquisition given that scenario either.

So, in a sport often decided by 100ths of a second, what happened?

“Lake Placid has never been my track,” said the 31-year-old Neilson, who is in his second full season on the World Cup circuit. “I don’t know what it is there, but I have a hard time finding rhythm, understanding what’s happening. Since my first day there, it’s always been a struggle for me.”

“Park City is more my kind of track. I like tracks with bigger corners, a little bit more flow, a little bit more rhythm. I was a lot more comfortable, more relaxed in Park City, not as worked up.”

Oh, oh. What does that mean for Saturday’s race at the Whistler Sliding Centre, a technically challenging track that is the fastest in the world, and on which Nielson was a hugely disappointing 19th last season?

Turns out, Neilson has become a huge fan of the 2010 Olympic track.

“I have come to love Whistler. I won our [World Cup team] selection race. I’ve finally figured out the flow and the rhythm. Now I understand why people say they love it so much. It’s fast and it’s fun.”

Neilson, a solidly-built six-footer, started with a bang last season, with seventh- and fifth-place finishes in Europe. But he struggled the rest of the way, winding up 16th in the standings.

He believes he can threaten for a podium spot this season. The World Cup men’s field is incredibly deep, but those three top seven results since last January have convinced Neilson he can “hang with the big dogs.

“I just have to make sure I can push fast (at the start) because these guys are pushing lights out . . . and they’re the best drivers. I know I have the ability, I just have to execute.

Neilson is sliding this season on a new version of the same sled he used last season, one built by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

“I think we’ve got a really good model now. We’ve been tweaking it the last four years. Every year we change it a little bit here and there to make it what we as sliders want. We’re at the point now where we know exactly what we need.”

Sleds are, of course, such a critical part of the skeleton equation. After struggling in the 2010-2011 season, Jon Montgomery, the 2010 Olympic gold medalist from Russell, Man., took all of last season off, in large part to work on designing and building his own sled.

“If you want to create something in your own vision, it’s up to you to get it done,” he said earlier this month.

After 12th and 14th place finishes to open the season, it’s clear there is still some fine-tuning needed. In fact, part of one the welds on the sled broke in training at Park City.

“He was struggling with that . . . but it’s coming along and he’ll be pretty good when everything is said and done,” said Neilson.

Everybody on the circuit is chasing Latvian veteran Martin Dukurs, who is the two-time reigning world champion and who owns the last three World Cup overall titles. He comes to Whistler off wins at both Lake Placid and Park City.

“He’s got so much experience,” says Neilson. “He’s been doing it for 12-15 years. He lives, breathes, eats, sleeps skeleton. He lives at the track [in Latvia], his dad works at the track.”

Neilson’s not sure he can be that single-minded, especially given the stressful nature of a sport decided by 100ths of a second.

“That’s absolutely nothing when you think of it. But .. . the slightest little movement here, little skid there and you’re out. To try to block that out, it’s tough, but I’m getting better at it.”

Neilson says his goals this year are to get qualified for the Sochi 2014 Olympics and “just to have fun.

“When you’re stressed out, the performance isn’t there. If I’m going to be away from home for half the year, I better be enjoying it, because if not I don't know why I’m there.”

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